


Flashlight Ficlets

by Kazyre



Series: Flashlight [2]
Category: Justice League of America (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Family, Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 12:02:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 16,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4478609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazyre/pseuds/Kazyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of ficlets written from one word prompts that will be missing scenes to my story 'A Flashlight to See in the Dark'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awkward

Jay twisted around to glance into the kitchen where Joan and Wally were mixing cookie dough, "I'm glad you and Wally stopped by. Joanie's been begging me to kidnap you both if that's what it took to get you to visit. Wally's basically our grandson, you know. You can't just deprive Joanie of Wally time. She gets withdrawals."

"Yeah, I'm sorry…" Barry gave a sheepish laugh, running his fingers through his hair. Jay was smiling, and his eyes were wrinkled with laughter. Barry knew he was just joking, but he still felt guilty. "I've just been really busy lately."

"Barry, you don't need to explain anything to me," Jay cut him off with a good-natured grin. The first Flash always had a way of exuding comfort and calm just by being in the room. "I didn't mean to bust your chops. Joan and I know better than most all you have to deal with everyday."

"It's really not that bad," Barry assured him. "After four years, I've gotten the hang of being a single dad. And honestly, I've got tons of help – what with you and Hal always there for me."

Jay suddenly looked embarrassed, and he chuckled to try and hide it. He got this way whenever Barry let him know how highly he thought of him. "You're a good kid – ah, but you're not really a kid anymore, are you? I'm just grateful that you've got such a great friend to lean on when you need it."

At the mention of Hal, Barry's whole body warmed with a surprising flutter. He felt almost dizzy whenever he thought about his best friend – though they were much more than friends now. He took in a deep breath to calm himself, but it did nothing to curb the goofy grin on his face, "Uh, yeah. Hal's great. Really great."

Jay's brow pulled tight in a confused frown. They both heard Joan's indulgent laughter from the kitchen and turned to see Wally attempting to shove a giant wooden spoon coated in cookie dough into his mouth. Joan lightly swatted the boy's shoulder, looking every bit like Wally's grandmother, "We weren't done mixing yet, Wally. You stinker~"

Wally looked unapologetic as he gnawed on the spoon, "I need this…"

"You are too old to lick the spoon, young man," Joan teased him happily as she portioned the cookie dough onto a sheet pan and dumped the dirty dishes in the sink. "Besides, there are eggs in that. You'll get salmonella poisoning."

Wally harrumphed and crossed his arms over his chest with a pout. Barry didn't miss the little glare that was tossed his way, "I'm too old for a lot of things, I guess."

"Oh?" Jay started laughing at the seriousness in Wally's grumpy tone. "What other things?"

Wally continued to look affronted even as Joan set a tall glass of milk in front of him and touched his bright hair fondly. He seemed to shoot daggers at Barry with his eyes as he frowned a said, "Lots."

"I can't eat brownie batter either, and I can't suck my thumb or I'll get buck teeth," Wally rattled off like he was laying down a list of severe grievances, his expression long-suffering. "And I can't sleep with Daddy anymore! But that's not fair, because Uncle Hal gets to sleep in the same bed as Daddy all the time, and he's a lot older than me!"

Barry's content smile plummeted into a wide-eyed stare of horror, and he froze solid in the chair opposite Jay. His stomach roiled nervously. Oh God…

"What…?" Joan had also stopped everything and was watching Wally curiously. Jay's gaze flickered between the three of them back and forth.

"Uncle Hal," Wally said again. "He gets to sleep with Daddy every night now, but _I'm_ not allowed to! It's not fair…"

Barry wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. Jay and Joan's eyes found him a second later, and he could practically _see_ them working it all out in their heads. He and Hal had only really been together for less than a year, and Barry hadn't told the Garricks that they were dating yet.

He just continued to give them both a look of blank terror until Jay turned to face him.

The retired hero cocked his head a bit to the side with a concerned frown. "Barry?"

Oh, this was awkward. Barry _really_ didn't want to explain to them that Wally had caught him and Hal sleeping together.


	2. Cat

Hal rested his chin in one palm, crouched on the balls of his feet, "Your dad's gonna kill me."

Wally was on his hands and knees trying to entice a stray cat out from under the house with a plate of cut up chicken, "It's just a cat."

"Yeah, but he's told me a thousand times not to leave the crawlspace door open under the porch," Hal closed his eyes and strummed his fingers against his jaw as he thought about how to hide this from Barry. "And what did I do? I left the door open. Now there's a cat under there. I bet you that's what's been making all those creepy scratching noises at night."

Wally sat upright in the grass suddenly and fixed his pop with an impatient glower, "You said you couldn't hear those!"

"I lied," Hal shrugged one shoulder. "Didn't want you to be scared."

"But what if it was one of your alien bad guys or something?" Wally asked distrustfully.

"Not likely," Hal snorted. "Atrocitus would never fit under there, and Sinestro would think it beneath him. Almost _all_ of my villains are the 'crash land into your roof with hellfire and shouting' type."

"Oh…" Wally frowned, looking a little disturbed.

"When you get older, I would suggest trying to make friends with your villains instead of antagonize them," Hal sighed. "Maybe invite them out for pizza?"

"Pop, when was the last time you slept?" Wally was giving him a look that was almost identical to Barry's raised eyebrow 'worried about your sanity' one. He continued making coaxing noises at the porch and pushing the chicken further into the crawlspace, hoping to lure the cat close enough to grab. "You're giving crazier advice than usual."

"I dunno…two days ago?" Hal had to think about it for a minute.

"How about you go take a nap and I'll – Oh! I think I see it!" Wally popped up with a wild grin, frantically waving Hal over. He vaulted over the porch railing and landed in a crouch beside his son. Hal was a bit too tall to get a good look under the house, but he tried his best to peer over Wally's shoulder. Wally was half under the porch now, "Wow…it's really tiny…"

Hal strained his eyes to make out the small shape shuffling towards them in the dark. It _was_ kinda skinny for a cat…

The animal moved into the light, snuffling at the offered chicken, and then Hal saw the black fur and long white stripe going down its back.

"Not a cat! That is _not_ a cat!" Hal hooked an arm around Wally's middle and dragged the boy away from the skunk fearlessly hobbling closer and closer. "Abort! Abort!"

Living so close to the woods, Wally had definitely seen skunks before, and he knew what kind of awful they were capable of. The redhead helped frantically scoot himself back, and the two of them bolted across the yard right as the stench started to hit their noses.


	3. Condoms

There was only one time that Barry accidentally ran something through the wash with a load of laundry. He'd been in college, and the jump drive that was ruined had held the only copy of his final research paper. After that, no article of clothing went into the washing machine without every pocket thoroughly checked. It was a good thing too, because Hal left absolutely _everything_ in his pockets. Barry had found Hal's keys, chewing gum, pictures, pens, batteries, the _Green Lantern ring_ , _bullets_ , and even Oliver's mask once. Wally wasn't even this bad.

Barry pulled a pair of Hals jeans out of the hamper and reached into the front pockets absently. He was trying to remember the words to a country song he'd heard on the radio when his fingers brushed against some kind of wrapper. Barry sighed, shooting Hal a sideways glance from down the hall, "Hal, I swear to God, you are so lucky I found this candy before it went in. I am _not_ prying half-melted Jolly Ranchers out of my socks again."

"Isn't this why I was banned from laundry duty?" Hal called from where he was vegetating in their bedroom. He was recovering from a Red Lantern ambush that had left both him and Guy Gardner with a bevy of injuries. They'd come out on top, but Hal had been 'advised bed rest' for the remainder of the week. "And why are you so sure it's mine? Wally eats _way_ more candy than I do."

"Wally can't fit in these pants," Barry snorted and pulled the wrapped out to look at.

It wasn't candy.

Barry went very still and just stared at the raised circle outline numbly. That was definitely a condom…in Hal's pocket…but they didn't _use_ condoms with each other – not anymore, not since they'd both been tested.

His mind instantly started working at hyperspeed to figure out a reason for why it would be there. Maybe it was an old one? No, it was before the expiration date on the wrapper. Was he just holding it for someone? Jeez, of course not; it was a condom, not drugs. Had he just found it? Was it _his_? Barry couldn't stop himself before the thoughts careened down an even worse tangent. Shit, was it for someone else – someone _not_ him? Was Hal cheating on him? No, that was idiotic; Hal wasn't a cheater. But why did he have a condom then? Dammit… _would_ he…? _No._ Hal wouldn't do that to him. Having a condom in his pocket didn't mean he was cheating.

Barry violently ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath to calm down his racing heart. He refused to panic and instead sped to their bedroom and held up the condom, "And this sure as hell isn't his."

Hal eyed him curiously for a moment and squinted a little to better see what he was holding.

Then his face drained of all color, and he shot upright, "Whoa, now! That's not mine."

"I'd love some help finding out whose it is then," Barry's jaw was tight, but he was trying not to get angry and fly off the handle. He was a rational adult and a scientist, and he always got all the facts before handing down judgment – no matter how anxious he might be.

Barry had really hoped Hal would have a better answer than that.

"Where'd you find it?" Hal swung his legs over the side of the bed despite the cast encasing his left foot.

"Your pants," Barry's voice sounded a little flat even to his ears. "When I was doing the laundry."

"Let me see them."

Barry had dashed to the laundry room, retrieved the jeans, and pushed them into Hal's hands before he'd finished speaking. Hal jumped a little in surprise, but he frowned down at the pants once he recovered.

"Barry," he snorted with sudden laughter. Barry didn't have any idea what was so hilarious about this. "These are _not_ my pants."

Hal held the pants up by the waistline and pulled the fabric taut to demonstrate. For a moment, Barry didn't get what Hal was trying to show him. Then, he really noticed how big they were – huge, really. The jeans were at least three or four sizes too big for Hal.

"Wait…these aren't yours either… Whose _pants_ are these?" Hal seemed to realize the same thing as he read the tag on the inside. They both went quiet as they tried to figure it out. Barry backtracked through his whole day, then yesterday, and then the previous days in the week. The answer popped into his head like a cartoon light bulb turning on.

"They're Clark's!" Barry snapped his fingers triumphantly. "Remember?! He came by last Tuesday, and Wally spilled grape juice on his pants, so I offered to try and clean them."

Hal frowned for a moment like he was trying to recall the day, but then he looked back at the condom in Barry's hand and gasped, "Oh my God, that means that's _Clark's!_ "

Barry looked down at the dark blue wrapper in surprise and dropped it like it was a spider.

Hal was howling with laughter and clutching his stomach as he gasped for air, "That's so weird! Oh, holy crap, no! He's supposed to be such a boy scout! Barry, this is the best day of my entire life! I have to go call Oliver…"

Barry didn't really approve of Hal's laughter at their friend's personal life, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. He was too stunned into silence by relief and feeling foolish for getting so upset.

"Hey…" Hal had noticed his mental shutdown and stopped laughing. He pulled Barry down until he was sitting on the bed and started brushing Barry's hair back soothingly. "You really thought I was sleeping around on you."

"No," Barry felt his face heat up in shame for even thinking it. "I dunno…"

"I'd never do that to you," Hal leaned his forehead against Barry's and locked their eyes with a rare, sweet smile. He wasn't even mad.

"I know. I'm sorry. I-"

"It's alright, Bear. We can't always help our initial reactions. If _I_ thought I'd found a condom in _your_ pocket, I'd probably bust down the CCPD's doors looking for you."


	4. Desert

Family outings were very important to Barry. He'd gone on them a lot with his own mother and father when he was a boy, and he tried his best to do things like that with Wally regularly. They were both very outdoor oriented and loved hiking and camping. Hal was always game to go with them, and he knew some surprisingly good places to explore – though most of them were in California.

That was fine. They'd call up Oliver and have him drag Roy and Dinah along with. The six of them always had a blast – no matter what they were doing: surfing, zip lining, parasailing…

However, being in California so often had inevitably attracted the attention of Hal's family. Barry had first met Hal's older brother Jack a long time ago – back when Iris was still alive. He'd thought Jack was alright, but a little too stern. Their younger brother Jim was much easier to get along with.

All of the Jordans had one major problem in common, though. They were beyond flabbergasted at the revelation that Hal was bisexual, and they had to constantly bring it up. Barry felt like he was on display at a museum or some sideshow, constantly answering invasive question after question about his relationship with Hal. Every topic led back to weird questions about their daily life or if Wally was having any trouble dealing with it. Barry could tell they weren't meaning to be rude, so he tried his best not to be offended.

Jack was nice enough to Barry's face, but he was convinced that this was a phase Hal was going through. His wife Janice couldn't even look at them without blushing furiously and going quiet.

Extra fun…

They were on a tour of Death Valley together in the Mojave Desert as a sort of family trip, and it was honestly a special kind of terrible. Hal and Jack were walking a bit apart from the group and whisper-shouting at each other about something. Hal's niece and nephew were running ahead with Wally, and at least _they_ were getting along. Jim stuck close-ish to Barry. He was pretending to be enthralled by the scenery, but every now and then, he'd turn to Barry and ask something truly personal that proved he was just coming up with more awkward questions.

Barry was mentally counting the seconds between each one as he walked. Meeting Iris' family hadn't even been this bad. He got to one hundred thirty before Jim turned towards him and opened his mouth again.

"I'm sorry, but I gotta ask. Which one of you is on top?"

Barry sucked a deep breath in through his nose to stay calm, "Jim?"

"Yeah?" Hal's brother cocked his head in interest.

"I want to get along with at least _one_ of my boyfriend's brothers, and it doesn't look like that's gonna be Jack," Barry began, speaking through clenched teeth. He slung an arm around Jim's shoulders. "I can appreciate that you're curious, but if you ever ask me that again, I'm gonna have to break your jaw. Understand?"

"Uh…yeah…"

"Thank you."


	5. Monster

Most young children were afraid of monsters being in their closets. For Wally, the closet was safe, and the monsters were in the _rest_ of the house. Barry couldn't even drag him out to eat. He'd found a little nest made of blankets and Iris' favorite shirts at the back of his bedroom closet that Wally was sleeping in at night.

It broke Barry's heart to see his son so terrified for this long. He didn't know what to do. Captain Frye had given him a list of therapists to call if things got really bad, but Barry felt like he needed to take care of this himself.

After all, _he_ was the one who brought the monster in the first place.

Barry decided to give Wally some more time before calling one of the child therapists; it had only been a week since the funeral. Wally couldn't tell him anything about the attack, but maybe he was remembering it on a subconscious level. That was the only explanation Barry could come up with for his behavior.

He wished he could call Hal about it. Hal was the expert on how to be fearless, but he wasn't back yet from his Lantern mission. He didn't know yet about…Iris.

Barry dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and focused on counting to a thousand as slowly as he could. Ever since that night, he was extra careful not to let his perception of time get away from him. He couldn't afford to be weak like that again – not when Wally needed him.

He sighed and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling helplessly as he lay in the dark. Barry just wanted Hal here period. There wasn't anyone he could talk to who didn't act like something was seriously wrong with him. His coworkers at the police station tip-toed around him with their nonstop sympathy phone calls. Superman and Wonder Woman made frequent fly bys over his house every day. Even Ralph and Sue watched him like hawks when they came over.

It set Barry's nerves screaming, but he tolerated it all in silence. His friends only cared about him, and Sue seemed to have a gift for calming Wally down. When the Dibnys came by to check on him, Sue spent most of the visit hunkered down in the closet with Wally curled up in her arms. Barry was unspeakably grateful for her.

But he still just needed his best friend. He didn't know why, but it felt like this all wouldn't be so impossible if Hal was here.

Barry heard a shuffling sound from the closet, and he felt his heart sink. Wally was still awake. He got out of bed with a grunt of effort and padded across the carpet to the closet.

"Wally?" he dropped to his knees and eased the door open. Wally's little foot was the only visible bit of him sticking out from his cocoon.

The lump shifted a little, and Barry could hear soft hiccups coming from it. He reached out and gently closed his hand around Wally's toes, "I'm right here, little man. Don't be scared."

The hiccups stopped.

"Everything's gonna be alright. I won't let the monsters get you," Barry tugged one of his heavier winter coats from its hanger and wadded it up behind his head. Well, that was a good enough pillow. He tried to make himself comfortable as he settled in to sleep, his legs stretched out and sticking out of the closet. Barry closed his eyes and continued rubbing his thumb along the bottom of Wally's foot. It really did smell like Iris in here. His heart ached from the reminder, but it was still comforting. "We'll be alright; we'll get through this together."


	6. Pan

It was the first time that Barry let Hal babysit Wally by himself. That fact alone made Hal nervous enough. He'd made a promise to himself to be there for Barry and help make his life easier after losing his wife. But he wasn't exactly sure how much of a help he would be. The only childcare experience he had was from watching his older brother Jack's kids for a week when he and Janice went on vacation.

And that had been _awful_.

He hadn't known Wally well enough to tell whether or not he would be well-behaved or loud and destructive like his niece and nephew. Of course, Barry was the one raising him, so Hal had no clue why he'd ever worried in the first place. Wally was adorable, a bit hyper, but he was polite and he listened well. He was still in the shyish stages around Hal though, so he'd have to see if this behavior kept up in a month.

Regardless, Hal had come in with a fool proof plan of action:

1\. Make sure Wally was still alive when Barry got home.

2\. Don't destroy the new house. (And to a lesser extent, leave it spotless.)

3\. Don't let Wally know their secret identities.

As long as Hal finished the night with all three rules intact, Barry couldn't ban him from babysitting ever again.

It was going surprisingly well. Wally opened up to him after about an hour, Hal popped in a movie for the kid, and he tried his hand at cooking dinner. The food came out only sorta burnt, and Wally gave Hal his official babysitter seal of approval – something only the Garricks had been able to merit before apparently.

The checklist was on track. Wally was still alive, and Hal was working on the mess of dishes piled in the sink. Number three in his list was the only danger now, because Hal was about ready to break out a jackhammer construct to get the burnt food off this damn pan!


	7. Tweezers

Hal could definitively say that this was the healthiest, easiest relationship he'd ever been in. He thought _everyone_ should date their best friend. Being with Barry was as effortless as breathing, more passionate than any night spent making up with Carol after a fight, and completely amazing.

The Lantern was finished moving in; he'd unpacked the last box a week ago and plugged himself into Barry's life pretty neatly. Wally loved him too, which was really the icing on top of it all – even if he didn't know yet that Hal was dating his dad. Explaining that would come later.

Right now, the only dynamic in his and Barry's relationship that had changed was the physical one. They were both a lot more conscious of little touches and too long looks. Hal was actually making a huge effort to not be as gross in front of Barry. He put more time into looking good and dressing well, although he only owned a handful of nice shirts. Barry wasn't just a really good bro anymore; he was someone who made Hal's heart race and his throat go dry. Hal absolutely wanted the stunning speedster to find him attractive.

That's why it was so infuriating when Hal woke up one morning and found an ingrown hair. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed it before, because it hurt like a bitch and was the size of a friggin _dime_. The main problem was…it was right in the middle of his back…and he couldn't reach it. He'd considered using a ring construct to get it, but he'd probably end up stabbing himself accidentally.

So, he needed someone else to get it for him. Unfortunately, Wally was six, and Hal would be the worst adult ever if he gave him a knife. He also wasn't about to go to the hospital for an ingrown hair. So, the only person left was…

Hal buried his face in his arms and let loose a pitiful whine. He was straddling one of the kitchen chairs backwards while Barry swabbed the bump with rubbing alcohol.

"Oh, quit being a crybaby. I know you've had worse than this," Barry squeezed his shoulder and then left to get the tweezers. Hal couldn't see his face, but he could hear the smile in his voice.

"It's not the pain," Hal sighed, rolling his forehead across his knuckles in misery. "There's gonna be pus and all kinds of nasty smelling hell fluids and stuff. I'm sorry I had to ask you to do this."

Barry was back now and scooting a chair closer while he prodded at the bump experimentally, "Are you kidding? This is like a dream come true."

"Uhh…" Hal opened his eyes and half glanced over his shoulder. "Explain that, please."

"There's something you don't know about me, Hal – something you couldn't possibly know," Barry told him in an overexcited, slightly creepy tone. Hal could hear the chair creaking as the speedster fidgeted happily in his seat. "A secret so deep and dark that no one else knows but me."

"Um, please don't say you're secretly a cannibal or something," Hal joked, but he was seriously baffled.

"Nope. I have literally spent…" Barry began dramatically. Hal felt him splay a hand out on his back and touch the tip of the tweezers to the bump. "- _hours_ watching cyst lancing videos on the internet. You have _no idea_ how much I've wanted to drain one myself!~"

Hal rolled his eyes in exasperation, "You have _got_ to be kidding…"

"Uh-uh," Barry gleefully kissed him on the cheek and then got down to work. "By the way, I'm definitely videotaping this. You don't mind, do you babe?"

"No, of course not. Go right ahead," Hal said sarcastically as he rested his chin on top of his arms. He didn't know why he'd even worried in the first place. His boyfriend was such a colossal dork.


	8. Umbrella

Central City really should've been underwater with how hard it rained all day. The pounding of raindrops against the window had been a constant while Barry worked in his lab. It was comforting, but the sound almost put him to sleep twice. Five o' clock couldn't come around nearly fast enough.

Slow days like this left a lot of time for socializing, which Patty Spivot always took advantage of. She'd been dropping heavy hints and working up to ask him out to dinner. Barry tried his best to redirect their conversations whenever it looked like it was heading that way.

He didn't really have the type of relationship with his coworkers where he felt comfortable announcing 'Hey, look! I'm dating someone!', but he wasn't making a secret out of it either. Barry even had a picture of Hal on his desk right in front for everyone to see, and he was sure that he mentioned Hal a dozen times over the course of each day.

Patty wasn't getting it.

She was following Barry and their fellow coworker Tony out at the end of the night, and he could sense it coming. Tony was happily chattering on about his daughter, and Patty was just waiting for a break to jump in. This really was Barry's own fault for not coming out and plainly saying that he was seeing someone. Hal kept making fun of him for dragging his feet about it.

"-and she's so smart! Only eight years old and she's won her first spelling bee~" Tony gushed. "I think I have about nine pictures of her holding her trophy."

Barry pushed open the station's front lobby doors and stepped out into the plaza. It was still raining steadily but only in a light drizzle now. "I think you've shown me seven of them already."

Tony burst out laughing and smacked Barry on the back, "Don't worry; I'll bring the other two tomorrow. You both coming out with us tonight? That new pizza joint opened up yesterday, and a couple of the other techs want to check it out."

Patty looked relieved that she wouldn't have to initiate the invite, "I'll go."

Tony grinned big and looked to Barry for his answer.

"Nah, I'll pass. Hal's probably waiting for me to get back," Barry winced internally. _That_ made it sound like Hal was just the babysitter.

"Jeez, does he live there now or something?" Tony made a little face at the rain still coming down, and he covered a cigarette to light up.

"Actually," Barry sensed a perfect opportunity to lay it all out right now – no more misunderstandings. "He _is_ living with-"

Barry tailed off when something bright green caught his eye across the lot and distracted him. Leaning against the fountain with an easy smirk and a green umbrella casually propped over one shoulder was Hal. He pushed off from the stones once Barry noticed him and sauntered over with that mischievous grin. Oh no…

"Hey, babe," Hal walked right up to Barry and made a big show of looking him up and down appreciatively.

Tony and Patty both fell silent, and Barry felt his face heat up, "Hal! What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd surprise you," Hal purred in his patented 'sexy' voice. He slipped an arm around Barry's waist and pressed an affectionate kiss just below his ear. "Wally's over at Roy's for a sleepover, and I figured we'd take advantage of the night off. We're going on a date."

Barry knew that this was Hal's unique way of punishing him for taking so long to tell Patty, but he couldn't be mad. It was impossible to be anything but dizzy when Hal's hot breath was tickling his neck like that. He flushed even deeper red and stammered, "Y-yeah…okay."

"Perfect," Hal nuzzled his nose into Barry's hair, still keeping up the bedroom eyes routine. Then, he put on a comically surprised expression like he'd just noticed Tony and Patty standing there staring at them in dumbfounded shock. Hal maneuvered the umbrella over Barry as well and rushed to shake their hands, "Oh, I'm so sorry! We're being rude! I'm _Hal_ – Barry's _boyfriend_."

Patty looked thunderstruck, "…We've met before."

"Have we?!" Hal acted horrified, keeping up the weird, overly earnest voice. Barry couldn't tell if he was going for wholesome, 1950s housewife or extra southern. Either way, Barry could still see the mean glint in his chocolate eyes. He was clearly enjoying this. "I'm sorry; I'm afraid there's not much room in my head for anything other than my handsome Barry here."

"Oh my God," Barry groaned, covering his face in humiliation. Tony was trying very hard not to laugh, but he was failing miserably. Barry seized Hal by the elbow and forcibly dragged him down the steps and away from his coworkers. "We have to go. Tony, Patty, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Have fun," Tony chuckled, waving at them with a huge grin. Patty was waving too, but it looked like someone just told her that her puppy just died. Ugh. Barry was going to have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow.

He turned back to Hal as they walked away, "I hate you."

Hal just tugged Barry in closer and held his laughter until they were far enough away to not be overheard, "That took what – two minutes? Patty problem solved."

"You're mad," Barry guessed, cocking his head a little and trying to read past Hal's pleased expression.

"You're _welcome_ ," Hal shook his head, twirling the umbrella idly as they made their way down the sidewalk. "And, I'm not mad."

Barry nearly tripped over his own feet when Hal suddenly wrapped both arms around him and swept him back in a dip. Hal kissed him slow and sweet as the rain fell around them. When he pulled away, he caught Barry's bottom lip between his teeth, and the speedster saw stars. Hal pecked him once more and winked happily, "I just get a little jealous sometimes."


	9. Haircut

It was approaching the end of summer, which meant back to school shopping. Wally was going to be in fifth grade, and he'd grown like a weed over the break, so that meant all new clothes and shoes. He also had a giant supply list from Central Elementary to buy as well as a new backpack. Barry wanted to get it all out of the way in one day, so he just dragged the family to the mall Saturday afternoon.

They'd just dumped their first haul of clothes off at the car and were heading for the office supply store. The mall was pretty crowded with families having the same idea and tourists making the most of their last couple weeks before school started up again. Wally led the way through Central's largest mall, his head whipping back and forth from all the distracting storefronts and people offering samples from kiosks. Barry could tell that his son was actively making an effort to smother all the excess energy he had from his powers. As long as no one else noticed, they were fine. To onlookers, Wally would just appear to be a normal, hyperactive child.

Hal had his hands in the pockets of his flight jacket and was somehow navigating the crowds with his eyes closed and feet dragging in boredom. He hated shopping almost as much as Barry did, but the Lantern was being a great sport about having to come along. Hal bumped Barry with his elbow and flashed him puppy dog eyes, "Are we almost done?"

"Yes, dear," Barry said patronizingly with a roll of his eyes. "I just want to hit up the sales before they end. Today's the last day."

"We don't need sales," Hal groaned. "What's the difference between the notebooks here now and the ones that'll be here a _week_ from now?"

Barry held up the sale ad with a raised eyebrow, "They're five cents each _today_ , and tomorrow they'll be two dollars. We're getting them today."

Hal's eyes widened marginally in surprise, but he tried to play it off, "Eh. We can afford it."

"We can afford it _right now_ ," Barry agreed. "But, neither of us knows what'll happen in a year. I'm planning for the future – mainly when Wally goes to college."

"I thought Ba-" Hal eyes skirted sideways to see if Wally noticed the almost slip-up. "- _Uncle Bruce_ already has a scholarship set up for when Wally graduates."

"I'm not taking Bruce's money," Barry rolled his shoulders uncomfortably at the mention. "We're not that hard up. I'm just being fiscally responsible."

"Ooh, say that again," Hal leaned in and sent a lascivious leer at him before laughing and slinging an arm around Barry's neck. "I'm pretty sure it's already done, babe. Plus, aren't scholarships tax deductable? See, that's helping his company."

"Still not okay with it," Barry made a face.

"Oh, Bruce has done much worse," Hal was laughing wryly. "Have you noticed that we haven't had a mortgage payment taken out for five months?"

Barry stopped and frowned at the revelation, "You're not serious… How did he get our bank information? No, nevemind; ignore that question…"

Hal snickered to himself as Barry sighed helplessly. Bruce was so stubborn that there really wasn't any point in trying to ask him about it. He'd just deny everything.

They were about to head into the office supply store when Hal did a double take at a barbershop a few doors down. He nudged Barry to get his attention and jerked his thumb at the storefront, "Hey, I'm gonna grab a haircut while we're here. You don't need me in there, do ya?"

"No," Barry shook his head. Wally was already eyeing the superhero themed merchandise in the display windows. Since going public with his own alias, Wally always had an eye out for Kid Flash things.

"Alright," Hal gave him a quick kiss and split off in the opposite direction. "I'll catch up with you two in a few minutes."

"See ya," Barry broke out his list and wrangled Wally away from a Green Arrow backpack. A good bit of the list was already crossed off. He grabbed a shopping basket and started loading it up with Wally's pick of notebooks, pencils, pens, markers, ruler, loose leaf paper, folders, book covers, the whole lot. It only took twenty minutes to gather everything they needed and get through the checkout line. Wally was practically buzzing with excitement over his new supplies, and Barry was seriously falling in love with couponing. They left the store loaded down with bags and headed for the main section of the mall.

Barry was just beginning to look around for Hal when he felt a hand start walking up his spine. He turned around, opening his mouth to greet his boyfriend, and froze when he caught sight of him.

Hal was grinning at him and running his fingers through his new haircut a little unsurely, "What do you think?"

Barry continued to gape at him in shock. Hal had gotten the sides of his head shaved close but left the top longer. It was brushed back from his forehead, and his usual bangs were completely gone. Barry's throat went dry. He looked… _so_ _hot_.

Wally gasped excitedly and started jumping in place even though the bags were weighing him down, "Pop, you look awesome!"

"Yeah?" Hal put his hands on his hips, pleased with Wally's reaction. It really did look good. Hal always exuded a faint air of danger, and the new edgy hairstyle suited him ridiculously well. Barry wanted to touch it; his fingers itched with the need. Hal winked at his stunned expression, and the flirty look slammed Barry's heart into overdrive, "What about you, Bear? You like it?"

Barry was nodding eagerly before he even had the words to answer, "I _love_ it. What made you cut it like that?"

Hal's smile stretched wider, and he stepped forward to take some of the bags from them, "No idea – spur of the moment thing."

"It's definitely one of your better ideas," Barry gave in and ran his hand along Hal's scalp, unable to help the delighted smile on his face. The shaved sides were unexpectedly soft. He kept running his fingers along the fuzz while Hal stood still for him. "I think we need to pawn Wally off on Oliver and Roy for the night, what do you say?"

"So you can show me off around town?" Hal teased him with a devilish smirk.

"Something like that."


	10. Sketch

Barry was trying his best to keep the pencil still over the sheet of computer paper, but Wally kept bumping his elbow. The ten-year-old was fidgeting in place and excitedly rambling off instructions as he peered over Barry's shoulder at the sketch in progress.

"I want that part to be yellow, and the pants red, and…black lightning bolts for the belt!" Wally happily pointed at parts of the sketch while Barry used his speed to keep up with the suggestions. Hal was across the table drawing up some designs of his own, and his head snapped up suddenly, eyebrows drawn together in abrupt concern.

"No yellow!" he grumbled.

Wally and Barry looked up at him with raised eyebrows. Barry finished darkening the black lightning bolts around the waist of the Kid Flash costume they were developing. He pretended like he was having trouble hearing and cupped a hand around his ear, " _Mostly_ yellow? Is that what you said? Oh, that's a great idea."

Wally looked a little confused, but Hal shot them an annoyed scowl and sighed, "Fine. Just don't be all surprised when one of you falls off of something, and I can't catch you because you've decided to make an unacceptable percentage of your uniforms _yellow_."

"He's gonna be Kid Flash," Barry set the pencil down and slid the design over to Wally for inspection. "At least some part of his costume has to be yellow. We're going for complimentary colors here."

"Then why not orange?" Hal proposed. "That goes with red."

Barry wrinkled his nose, looking over at Wally and his bright red hair, "I think that would clash really badly with the red hair."

"Then make the cowl cover his hair up," Hal handed over a sketch of his own that was mostly stick figures and boxy gear with lightning bolts scribbled all over it.

"No!" Wally set down the paper with a frown. "I want to see my hair. Dad says his mask gets really hot sometimes."

"It's better identity protection if people can only see your jaw," Hal offered with a shrug. Barry _really_ wanted to point out that Hal's green domino mask was one of the smallest masks out there, but he kept quiet and just smiled.

Wally looked at Hal very seriously and said, "No."

Barry laughed, working on the lightning bolt earpieces that would go on either side of Wally's mask. They'd been arguing over the design of this costume for hours now, and he didn't think they'd ever get done with it. Hal flicked part of an eraser at Wally and snickered when it hit him right in the nose. Two seconds later, all the papers spread over the table were in the air, and Wally was drawing on his pop's face with a marker at superspeed in retaliation.


	11. Book

Hal was standing in front of the self help section in the bookstore, chewing on his thumbnail and frowning blankly at the expanse of titles to choose from. He hadn't planned this out very well, thinking that the right book would just jump right out at him after a few minutes. The multitudes of different types of grief and loss counseling had been unexpected factors.

If the store wasn't so packed, Hal would've just whipped out the Lantern ring and used it to scan them all for what he wanted.

"Hey, there!" a cheerful voice said from behind. Hal turned around and nearly cried in relief when he saw a pretty young sales associate smiling at him with her hands clasped behind her back. "Is there anything I can help you find today?"

"Oh, thank God," Hal breathed with an almost desperate nod. He flailed one arm at the full shelves in a helpless gesture. "I really have no idea what to get. I don't even know if I'm in the right section or not."

The girl gave an understanding smile and stepped closer to see the book titles better, "Well, let's see what we can find for you. Can you give me an idea of what you're looking for?"

"It's a little complicated," Hal rubbed the back of his neck and jammed his other hand in the pocket of his flight jacket. "My best friend's wife was murdered a couple months ago, and I'm really trying to be there for him, but I keep messing everything up. I was hoping you guys had a book or something with advice on how to help. I'm totally out of my depth here."

"Oh, that's terrible," her expression sobered very quickly, and she frowned as she looked at the subsections in the aisle. "We have some books on how to cope with grief and trauma… Here's a few specifically for losing spouses. They're written for the widow or widower, but I bet they'll give you a good idea about what to say to your friend."

Hal took one of the paperbacks she pulled out for him and started flipping through the pages. It looked legit enough – written by a professional grief counselor and such. He read through the index and tucked the book under his arm, giving the other three books the same treatment before deciding to get them all, "He's got a kid too. Do you have any books for three-year-olds? I don't even know if the kid _understands_ death, though…"

"Um, I think it's safer to go with a child therapist honestly," the girl looked apologetic at not being more helpful.

Hal gave her a brief, reassuring smile and held up the books she'd found for him, "No worries. This will be fine. Thank you for all the help."

The girl flushed a little pink and smiled back shyly, "It's, uh, my pleasure. You're a very good friend to want to help so badly."

"Yeah," Hal was already reading through the first chapter of one book, speaking distractedly without looking up from the pages. "He's one of the best people I've ever met, and I owe him a lot more than this. I just really want to make a difference and let him know he doesn't have to go through this alone."

"Wow," she moved a little closer, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. "That's so sweet. Not many guys would try so hard. I'd be glad to help if you need anything else."

"Nah, this is great. Thanks again!" Hal held up a hand in a departing wave. He might've noticed the slightly disappointed look in the girl's eyes and realized that she'd been flirting with him if he hadn't been so absorbed in the book. As it was, the only things that went through his mind as he headed to the register to check out were new ideas on how to help Barry.


	12. Acetate

It was supposed to be a fun night out. Jay had invited Hal and Barry to one of his Justice Society get-togethers, and they'd blackmailed Ollie into babysitting Wally for them. Hal really liked talking to the legendary heroes that had come before him, and it was always hilarious hearing them retell old 'war stories'. Last time they were invited, Hal got to meet all of the founders of the long-disbanded team and then some. Ted Grant, Kent Nelson, Wesley Dodds, Rex Tyler, Al Pratt – they were all the larger than life heroes that Hal's _dad_ had grown up idolizing. It was beyond cool to be allowed to sit down with them in their civilian identities, drinking and trying to best each others' stories like they were old friends.

The only problem was Alan Scott – technically Earth's first Green Lantern. He and Jay were best friends, which meant that of course Alan was there tonight. Hal kept getting shot disapproving looks and had to endure supposedly 'innocent' little comments from the distinguished Lantern. Even though he had _never_ been anything like a mentor to Hal, Alan still felt like it was his duty to let Hal know when he thought he was screwing up. They didn't have anything remotely close to the almost father-son relationship that Jay and Barry did.

Alan made holier-than-thou jabs at Hal, and Hal jabbed right back.

But not tonight. This was Jay's turn to host the annual reunion, and Joan looked so tickled to see so many of her friends again laughing and having a good time. Hal refused to ruin it for them by getting into a fight with Alan. So, when his temper reached a boiling point and he couldn't take it any longer, Hal grabbed a glass of scotch and retreated into the back rooms of Jay's house to cool off.

He took a sip of the amber liquid to calm the shaking in his hands, wandering to the end of the hall until the living room chatter was a faint hum. Hal veered left into what looked to be a study, leaving the door cracked open behind him.

The room was tidy and all wood-paneled walls and studded leather couches. A flat desk sat in one corner beside a leafy, potted plant and slender floor lamp. Framed paintings of landscapes hung between packed bookshelves like separators, and Hal found his eyes going wide at the sheer number of odds and ends squeezed onto the shelves along with weathered hard covers. He hadn't really taken Jay for a collector.

Hal downed a good bit of his scotch and set the glass on an end table. He went up to one of the bookshelves, surveying the different titles and recognizing some of the classics but not really interested in any. His irritation slowly faded away in the peaceful study as he walked his fingers over the bindings, just enjoying the quiet and isolation. Then, he came across the next bookshelf stuffed end to end with something much different.

Records.

"Whoa…" Hal breathed out, scanning floor to ceiling the colorful record sleeves that were meticulously dusted and arranged in alphabetical order. This collection was clearly someone's pride and joy. He pulled out one of the middle records halfway, smiling at the worn cardboard of the album cover. The 1940's cover art was a bit faded, but still in great condition. Hal replaced it on the shelf with a low whistle. There had to be over 400 records here. Jay and Joan had probably been putting this collection together their whole lives.

He had a sudden thought of a much younger Joan and Jay getting together and excitedly sharing records that the other was missing. Oh, how cute. Hal breathed out in a quiet chuckle, crouching down and running one finger along the printed edges as he looked for ones he knew. He'd always loved old records. Hal didn't own any – vinyl record weren't exactly convenient nowadays – but he sorta wished that they hadn't been replaced by CDs. He remembered his grandma showing him how to use her antique phonograph with the giantass horn attached when he was little.

Hal spun around, eyes darting all over the room until he found what he was looking for. There, in the opposite corner, was a modern-looking record player console. Oh, _score!_

He went back to perusing the records for one of his favorite music artists, feeling giddiness buzzing inside him as he looked. Towards the bottom shelves, he found the name he was looking for and plucked it from the others with a triumphant grin.

"What are you doing back here?"

Hal jumped for a second as the voice startled him, but he knew it was Barry without even needing to turn around. His heart started calming down from its jolt.

"Escaping Alan's eternal disdain for me," Hal joked wryly. He held up the record in his hands for Barry to see, still practically drooling over it. "Did you know about this treasure trove?"

"Jay's record collection? Of course," Barry was leaning in the doorway watching him. He pushed off from the frame and strolled into the room, eyes sweeping over the shelves with mild interest. "Used to brag about it to me all the time when we first met – about bored me to tears."

"What?! No!" Hal gasped, cradling the record to his chest and rising to his feet. "These are amazing. Look at this one: 1964, Frank Sinatra, 'Fly Me to the Moon', _original_ acetate!"

Barry's expression turned sweet and amused at how excited Hal was getting. He came over and looked down at the cover over Hal's shoulder, "I didn't think you were a Sinatra fan."

"Are you kidding?" Hal snorted with a wide smile. "Smooth, debonair, confident. That's like the definition of _me_. Sinatra is my spirit animal."

Barry burst out laughing.

Encouraged, Hal hopped over to the record player and lifted the glass lid, "Oh, just wait~"

He gently lowered the record onto the spindle and turned the machine on. Hal set the speed to the correct RPM, carefully moved the tone arm over the song he wanted, and placed the needle down onto the groove. The record spun around as Hal turned the dial for volume, and a smile spread across his face when the old timey orchestra issued from the speakers.

When he turned around, Barry was still grinning warmly at him from the leather couch. Hal swayed side to side to the beat, holding out his hands to Barry in an invitation to dance. It only took a moment of coaxing, and then the speedster was taking the offered hands and letting Hal pull him to his feet.

Hal immediately tugged him closer and slipped an arm around Barry's waist. He twined their fingers together with the other hand and swung Barry around in a clumsy foxtrot. Sinatra's crooning voice drifted out around them as Hal stepped on Barry's foot. Barry nearly pitched them sideways. They knocked shoulders painfully. Hal tried to spin Barry around, and it ended with the speedster stumbling into his chest.

"Hal," Barry laughed breathlessly. He tried to step away, but Hal kept them turning in a sloppy circle. "We're gonna break our necks. Neither of us knows the girl moves."

"Pfft. Who needs girl moves?" Hal tried to get a handle on his laughter and keep upright. He pulled Barry snug against him and started making up steps of his own. It only took Barry a few awkward turns before he caught on to the pattern, and then they were both laughing at each other and trying to keep the pace steady.

Hal braced all his weight on one foot and tipped Barry back in a low dip. He waited for the right part in the song and then used his very best Sinatra impression as he sang along, " _You are all I long for, all I worship and adore."_

Barry turned a bit pink as he struggled to keep a straight face.

 _"In other words, please be true~"_ Hal yanked him back up, turning on the swagger and his most handsome grin. Barry let Hal lean in until their noses were brushing together, his smile turning affectionate when Hal pressed a kiss to his cheek and started singing right into his skin. _"In other words…I love you~"_

Gorgeous blue eyes slid closed, and Barry tilted his face to rest his forehead against Hal's. They swayed to the beat with easy steps and content smiles, every movement making Hal forget that they weren't the only two people in the world.

"You've gotta sing to me more often," Barry mumbled dreamily and held Hal closer.

"Whatever you want, baby," Hal vowed, surrendering the lead to Barry as the song faded to an end and the next one started up with flaring trumpets and a much faster beat.

Neither of them noticed Alan and Jay sneaking up to close the door and give them some privacy.


	13. Guilt

_Hal was reclining on the couch, Barry asleep in his lap and curled possessively around him, when Iris walked in through the kitchen door. She froze once she spotted them, keys clutched tightly in one hand and grocery bags hanging from her arms like she'd just come home from the store and had no idea that she was supposed to be dead. Hal bolted upright in dumb shock, his eyes wide and terrified. Iris dropped the plastic bags as she stared at him in mirrored surprise, the only sound between them the jingling of her key ring._

_"Iris?!" Hal choked out around a tongue dry and heavy in his mouth. How was she here?_

_Her eyes narrowed in budding anger, hands drawn up in shaking fists and her lips pressed into a firm line._

_"What the hell is this?!" she fumed. Her cheeks were burning red, and her eyes were starting to glisten with prickling tears._

_"It's not what it looks like!" Hal insisted frantically. It suddenly wasn't so strange that she was here, alive, breathing. Of course she wasn't dead. Why had he thought that?_

_"Then what is it, Hal?" Iris's voice cracked low with raw emotion. She flung one arm at him in an irate gesture, tears now spilling down her cheeks. "Because it looks like you're sleeping with my husband!"_

_Hal looked down, and then he was sitting upright in a bed he'd never seen before. Barry was lying face down beside him, naked and hair mussed like they'd just gone a few rounds with each other while his wife was out. Hal grabbed for the sheets and pulled them up to cover himself, disoriented and confused._

_Iris's expression twisted violently from hurt into vicious disgust. She straightened up to an impossible height at the foot of the bed, shadows casting her features into frightening contrasts of light and dark, "He's not yours, Jordan. What makes you think you're allowed to be with him?"_

_Hal's heart was beating so hard in his chest that he could feel it shaking his bones. Fear crippled him and kept him from answering back as he stared up at Iris towering over them._

_"Wally and Barry are MY family!" Iris screamed at him, teeth sharpening and fingers stretching into long claws. She swiped one arm at him and tore a bedpost clear in half. "Get the hell out!"_

Hal jerked awake with his whole body, toppling off the couch in panic. He shot out both hands and kept his face from the floor with his fingertips and one foot. He took a few deep, gasping breaths before daring to move and scan the room for any signs of Iris. He was in the living room just like in the dream, but it was bright with sunlight and filled with the cool spring breeze fluttering through the curtains. Hal rose to his knees and turned around towards the kitchen. There were no grocery bags on the floor, and Iris was nowhere to be seen. The only other one in the house with him was Wally, seated at the table with his homework and watching him in open concern.

"Pop?" Wally asked cautiously. His pencil was poised over a sheet of math problems, in the middle of scribbling down an answer. A half-eaten plate of crackers sat in front of him beside a cup of bright blue fruit punch. Hal shut his eyes and rubbed them to calm down. Wally was right where he'd left him before he'd fallen asleep in the living room. It was Thursday, 3:12pm, Wally was doing homework and having his afternoon snack, Barry wouldn't be home until five, and Iris had been dead for four years.

Hal stood up shakily, his body still antsy like someone had wrung him out like a wet rag, "Yeah?"

"…Are you okay?" Wally still hadn't moved, wide-eyed and waiting for a reply.

"I'm fine!" Hal hastily plastered on a huge grin to hide how freaked out he was. "Just had a weird dream, kiddo."

He watched Wally slump against the chair as he relaxed, "What was it about?"

"Zombies," Hal lied fluidly, adding a cheeky emphasis on the word like he was super glad to be awake and away from them. "They tried to eat my handsome face off. Yikes."

Wally fell for it, giggling at the story and going back to his workbook, "Can you help me with my homework?"

Hal leaned over him to examine the math workbook, still trying to control his heartbeat, "Multiplication? Of course I can. Let me just run to the bathroom, and I'll be right back to help, alright?"

"Okay," Wally accepted easily, and Hal kissed the top of his head before retreating up the stairs to the top floor.

He ducked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, his carefully crafted smile falling apart before the latch caught. Hal moved in front of the mirror and leaned over the sink with his eyes closed. He steadied his breathing – in through the nose, out through the mouth – and tried to push the remnants of the dream away.

But this was what he'd secretly worried about since that first Christmas he and Barry got together. What would Iris think if she could see them?

The nightmare had lacked any sense at all, but it laid his fears bare at their core. What would he do if Iris actually did barge in one day demanding to know what in the hell Hal thought he was doing there? Thinking about her made Hal feel _guilty_ for being with Barry. It was stupid and irrational, but Hal couldn't help it.

No matter what he did, a part of Barry would always belong to _her_. That was normal. That was fine. Hal didn't expect Barry to stop loving her just because she was dead. They had their time together, and Barry had healed neatly and moved on. Hal had done that – spent two years cleaning, stitching, and mending the raw, bleeding wound that Iris' death had torn open in his best friend.

It didn't change the fact that Barry and Iris would still be together if she was alive. Realistically, Hal knew that there was no way to be absolutely certain of that – things happened, perfectly stable, happy relationships crumbled every day. But he would've bet his life that Barry and Iris could have been that ninety-year-old couple in the park, still as happy and madly in love as the day they first met. And that was the real issue that terrified Hal. If she came back today, walked in the door like Hal feared, who would Barry choose? It was ridiculous; it would never happen, and Hal felt like the worst person in history for wondering about it, but he couldn't help it.

His relationship with Barry was still new and fraught with insecurities. Hal knew that he should probably talk to Barry about this, but how the hell did he even begin to bring up the subject? He risked never coming to terms with it if he stayed silent, but he also risked hurting Barry by voicing his fears. And Hal would rather chop off his own hand.

He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, breathing deep in resolution.

This was stupid.

He and Iris had always gotten along just fine. Iris had never been anything resembling a harpy. Hal had never even heard her raise her voice to yell at someone. She'd been sweet and kind, and the only way she'd disapprove of Hal carving out a place for himself was if he ever gave anything less than his whole heart and soul to protecting Barry and Wally. That was where they were one and the same.

Hal wasn't replacing her. There would never be any dilemma or reason to ask who Barry loved more. Hal would only damage their relationship if he insisted on competing with a dead woman.

He reached for the towel hanging from the wall and pressed it to his face, wiping off the water and all the lingering doubt. Wally was downstairs waiting for him, and if Iris really _was_ watching over them, Hal wanted to show her that he fully intended on taking care of her boys for her.

When Hal opened the door and made his way down the steps to the living room, he felt a tremendous weight slough off of him. He smiled for real this time as he took a seat beside Wally and looked over the math problems he was meant to help with. Maybe he would suggest taking a trip to visit Iris' grave when Barry got home.

Hal wanted to pay his respects.


	14. First Time

Hal knew it was probably creepy, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of Barry. It was stupidly fascinating to see him so _still_. Even when he wasn't shattering the sound barrier, the speedster was nearly always in motion. Whenever Hal got moments like this, he tried to savor them, file each second away in his head to store forever. Barry was so handsome, and Hal got to look at him as much as he wanted when he was still – had to make up lost time for all those years when Barry wasn't _his_ to look at.

He was perfect like this. Barry was always so tidy and put together, all sweatervests, sharp creases, and never a hair out of place. Hal loved him no matter what, but this was something else.

Barry was fast asleep on his back, blond hair a complete mess and sticking out in every direction. His face was turned just enough into the sunlight that the morning stubble shimmered on his jaw. Hal could've made fun of him for _actually_ sparkling, but it was too pretty to mock.

Hal knew it was going to wake Barry up, but he couldn't resist reaching out and brushing his fingers against the sharp scruff. He'd joked with Ollie about disliking beards before and was 100% ready to take back what he'd said thanks to an amazing dream he had where Barry was a cowboy. Hal expected that all those inappropriate dreams would get a _lot_ better now that he knew how Barry's skin felt sliding against his own, knew the sounds he made when Hal touched him.

"Mmm…" Barry moaned as he stirred awake. Hal smiled down at him and covered the prickly hairs on his neck with a warm hand.

"Morning, beautiful," Hal had his head propped up on one fist. He watched the blond open one eye and then the other, squint at the light streaming in through the bedroom window, and blink up at Hal until a lazy smile spread across his face.

Barry ran a hand up Hal's bare chest and hooked it behind his neck to bring him down for a sleepy kiss, "Hey."

Hal's heart swelled painfully with affection. They'd slept together for the first time last night, and Hal didn't think it was possible to love the speedster more. He'd been proven so very wrong. Hal nuzzled his face just under Barry's ear and hummed happily, "You sleep well?"

"Yeah," Barry's shoulder lifted up to protect himself from Hal's tickling breath. He laughed in a groggy voice and pushed lightly at Hal's chest. "Stop; you're gonna give me beard burn."

Hal responded by quickly rubbing his own scratchy jaw against Barry's and pinning his legs down so he couldn't escape, "Let's hope so. That'll make it all the more awkward when we have to go downstairs for breakfast and face Ollie."

Barry caught either side of his face and tried to push him to arm's length, smiling thoughtfully at him with a little frown.

"What?" Hal breathed out in a chuckle.

"You look good with a little stubble," Barry cocked tilted his head to the side like he was surveying artwork.

"I was just thinking that about you!" Hal grinned. He flopped down beside Barry and felt the blond curl an arm around him. "We should _not_ shave today."

"I'm game for that," Barry mumbled as he pressed a kiss to Hal's hair.

"Wanna see if we can make Ollie nervous with how good we look with facial hair?"

"I'm not actually sure either of us could grow beards as nice as his," Barry snorted derisively.

"You're right," Hal nodded like he agreed. "Ours would be _way_ nicer."


	15. Candlelight

Hal considered himself dating Barry on a probationary status. He'd royally screwed up last year on Halloween and almost ruined his chances of being with his best friend, so he was being extremely careful and putting his all into their new relationship. There would be no more screw ups. He wanted Barry to know that he was serious about him.

He'd asked Jay Garrick to watch Wally for the night and flown Barry out to Coast City for an intimate dinner at his apartment. They didn't spend much time at Hal's place, mostly because Barry was a dad full time and Central City was just easier, but he was trying to make it into a nice getaway for the speedster. Hal had decked out his entire apartment with candles and found some slow country music that he knew Barry loved.

It was important to him that Barry knew he could be sweet and romantic, no matter how awkward it felt.

Things were going pretty well. Dinner had been great – since he'd chosen to order out instead of risk cooking – and they were curled up with each other on the couch just talking. Barry looked like he'd wanted to laugh when he first saw all the candles and heard the mood music, but he seemed to be into it. As long as Barry didn't think all this was ridiculous, Hal was happy. He pulled one of Barry's feet into his lap and started deftly massaging it just like the speedster liked.

"Ohh, that's good," Barry veritably melted in response and leaned his head against the couch cushions. "This whole _night_ has been great, Hal, but what brought it on?"

"Just wanted to woo you a little," Hal murmured as he firmly kneaded his knuckles up the sole of Barry's foot. His insides writhed uncertainly, and he tried not to let it show. Right as he'd begun to think he was doing this right, Barry's question put him off kilter again.

Barry hummed happily and threaded his fingers together over his chest, "It's working."

"Yeah?" Hal glanced up from his task. His blood rushed to his stomach when he saw Barry's half-lidded stare. Oh man, those blue eyes were gonna be his undoing.

Barry nodded and crooked a finger at him to coax Hal closer. He didn't need telling twice. Hal slid his hands up Barry's legs and carefully pulled the speedster into his lap. Barry hooked his leg over Hal's knee and slid long fingers along his scalp. He let his eyes fall shut and smiled when he felt Barry's lips ghosting across his cheekbone.

His heart swelled until it felt like his chest could no longer contain it. With one hand curled against Barry's jaw, Hal guided their mouths together in a slow, languid kiss. Electricity dove down his throat, igniting every nerve until his whole body was tingling.

Hal took his time learning what Barry liked.

He wasn't a huge fan of too much tongue; Hal got much better responses from Barry when he toned it down a bit. He could make Barry shiver and moan when he pulled the speedster's bottom lip between his teeth. Barry liked skin contact when he kissed – touching Hal's face or pressing their foreheads together – so Hal held him close and punctuated each press of lips with intimate cuddling.

That actually did more to bring them closer than making out could. Hal thought that Barry just missed having someone to hold, and he was more than happy to oblige him.

This was nice – different, and Hal felt like he was trying too hard – but Barry made him _happy_. All he wanted to do was return the favor. Hal leaned into the kiss and fit his hands into Barry's, lacing their fingers together loosely.

Barry pulled back to look down at their hands in soft amusement. He was probably just having a good time, but Hal's brain wasn't content with that explanation. What if Barry thought he was being stupid?

Hal flushed red. He tried to hide it by turning his face away, but Barry saw and pulled him back, "What?"

"It's embarrassing," Hal floundered to try to explain, his ears burning. "I don't know why it is, but _it is_."

"What is?" Barry was concerned now, his hands were automatically moving to soothe Hal, curling around his wrists, stroking the skin there with his thumbs.

"Trying to be romantic," Hal shrugged. "I feel like I'm being silly or it's coming off all wrong. Like…we were best friends before all this; you're used to seeing me a certain way – irresponsible, reckless, weird – and now I'm acting all suave and charming, and I just feel like I'm being cheesy."

"You're doing _fine_ ," Barry smiled reassuringly. "I like it. You can act however you want, though. If you want to be romantic, then great! Be romantic. Sweep me off my feet. I don't think it's funny, and I'm not laughing at you. All it makes me think is that you care about me, and you want to show me how much."

That quieted the nagging voice in the back of Hal's mind. He let his shoulders slump and his whole body relax as Barry spoke.

"I'm not going to be any less interested in you because of all your antics," Barry gently tugged Hal's hands forward to bring their faces closer together. "And even though we're dating now, you're still my best friend. That hasn't changed. You're the first person I think of to tell when something funny happens, I still love fighting back to back with you in the thick of battle, and I still draw things on you when you're passed out drunk."

"Um…"

"Shh," Barry's grin threatened to get away from him. "Point is. I'll love any side of you that you want to show me. I love it when you sleep through League meetings. I love it when you pack Wally's lunch for school. I love it when you lead the charge against an enemy. And I love it when you surprise me with a room full of music and candlelight. I love _you_ , Hal."

Hal struggled to swallow down the thick lump in his throat. He could actually feel his body moving from his heavy heartbeat. Barry cupped his face with both hands, and Hal sucked in a deep, dizzy breath, "Wow…you're so much better at this romantic stuff…"

Barry laughed and placed a fond kiss on Hal's lips, "I'll teach you."


	16. Green

Barry wasn't quite asleep yet when he heard the loud bang from downstairs and the sound of something knocking into the back door. Keeping a cool head, he silently rose from his desk and slipped into the hallway, muscles loose and ready for a fight. Hal wasn't supposed to be back home until tomorrow afternoon, and he had a key, so he wouldn't be making such a ruckus anyways. Barry spared a second to check on Wally and close his bedroom door before rushing to the stairs and pressing flat against one wall.

If this was a burglar, then they were a special kind of stupid for picking _this_ house.

He breezed down the steps without a sound, craning his neck around the corner into the pitch black dining room with both hands itching and at the ready. He couldn't see _who_ was at the door but had to squint against the blinding green light that flashed through the windows and curtains as the group outside fumbled to get in.

Something was _wrong_.

Barry was at the door in a second, flipping the latch and yanking it open to a flurry of muffled cursing and groans of pain. Guy and John were huddled under the awning with an unconscious Hal suspended between them, all three Lanterns bloody and battered pretty badly. Guy's head snapped up in surprise when Barry opened the door, and he dropped the shoddy, house key construct he'd been jabbing at the lock, "Shit, you're quiet!"

"What happened?" Barry whispered desperately, chest hollow and aching. He moved out of the way and ushered them all inside, unable to see Hal's face from the way his head was slumped to the side. His body was limp and crumpled in his teammates' arms; John had his legs while Guy supported his torso. They carried him over to one of the kitchen chairs and helped him sit upright, their uniforms casting ghostly light across the table and floor.

"We're not as bad as we look," John told him very firmly, and the grounded surety of his voice was a rush of relief for Barry. John turned on the overhead light while Barry shut the door and drew the blinds closed in habit. He didn't really have neighbors anymore, but he wasn't taking any chances. Guy was banging around like a bull in a china shop as he scoured the cabinets for towels and filled a bowl with ice. He was going to wake up Wally if he kept it up.

"Got hit by _another_ goddamn villain team-up," Guy growled angrily, passing the ice over to John, who was keeping Hal upright in the chair. "This shit keeps happening more and more lately! What gives?!"

"Keep your voice down," Barry told him woodenly, dropping to his knees in front of Hal and wrapping a dishrag around a handful of ice. He carefully pressed it to one of the mottled bruises on Hal's cheek and felt his chest constrict when he flinched away. He was awake. Barry released the breath he'd been holding and swiped the blood out of Hal's eyes with his thumb, "Hal? Can you hear me?"

The groan he got in response was more or less an answer.

"I wanted to take him to a hospital, but he kept telling us to bring him home," John sighed as he watched Barry take mental stock of Hal's injuries. He was bruised all to hell, but at least nothing looked broken.

"It's fine," he took a moment to collect himself, squeezing Hal's shoulder carefully. "He hates hospitals. I can patch him up."

Hal seemed to recognize his voice then, because his eyes cracked open and darted around the room until they found Barry. His mouth chewed over something that might've been words, but nothing intelligible came out. He frowned, eyes fluttering shut again, and tried harder to speak.

"Shh, baby," Barry whispered, pushing bloody hunks of hair back from Hal's forehead. "You're gonna be alright. I'm here."

"Do you need help getting him cleaned up?" Guy offered anxiously when Barry slipped one arm around Hal's back and hooked the other under his knees.

Barry lifted him easily, shaking his head, "I got it."

He tried not to feel annoyed at the impressed looks John and Guy were giving him, but that's what happens when you work with people who can lift buildings and pull planes out of the sky. Everyone knew he was fast, but they always forgot how strong he was.

"If you don't feel up to flying, you're both welcome to stay the night here," Barry told Hal's comrades. He nodded at the living room and the very comfortable couch and chairs. "There's plenty of room."

"Thanks, Barry, but I wanna give Superman a rundown of everything that happened," John powered his ring back up and created a construct to strap some of the ice to his shoulder blade. Guy also looked like he was getting ready to head out. "He and Batman are keeping a close eye on these villain tag teams, and they'll want to hear about tonight."

"I'm with Johnny," Guy jerked his thumb at his fellow Lantern with a grin. "'Cept I'm not allowed in your super secret superhero club, so I'll be riding out the rest of this crappy night with a Guinness."

"Well, be careful then – both of you," Barry gave them a nod. "Thank you for getting Hal here safely. I'll have him call you tomorrow, alright?"

"Whenever he's feeling up to it," John herded Guy towards the door and jerked his thumb outside. "We'll lock up for you."

"Night," Barry smiled gratefully and made his way to the guest bathroom so he wouldn't have to navigate the stairs. Hal's head slumped against his shoulder, and his smile fell away. He was burning to know all the details of what happened and find out who was responsible, but Hal came first. Barry heard the door in the kitchen open and close when he awkwardly flipped on the light switch with his elbow. Hal cringed at the sudden brightness, and it drew out a moan when Barry sat him down on the side of the tub.

"I'll be right back," Barry took care to prop him up against the wall and make sure he wouldn't fall over before dashing to the garage for a short stool. He set it in the middle of the tub and turned on the showerhead to let the water warm up. Barry eased the Lantern ring off Hal's finger and set it on the sink beside them. His costume vanished with a low sound, and Barry touched the side of his face to wake him up, "Okay Hal, I need you to help me out and stand for just a second."

Hal reached out and weakly hooked an arm around Barry's neck, letting himself be pulled up on wobbly legs. Barry moved quickly, unbuttoning Hal's jeans and pushing them down to his ankles. He hefted his boyfriend into the tub and made him sit on the stool, peeling off the blood-soaked shirt and tossing it aside as well. Hal's chest and back were mottled with angry bruises and small ruptures along the skin. Barry's eyes roved over them in dismay, and he felt each wound as keenly as if they were on his own body.

"You still doing alright?" Barry couldn't help brushing his fingers along the slick patches of Hal's hair, looking for tender spots and more serious head wounds. All this anxious fussing was just going to slow him down though, so Barry took a deep breath and retrieved a soft washcloth from under the sink.

Hal gave the faintest nod, slumped over his knees, and his eyelids fell halfway shut again.

"Okay, baby, let me know if you start to feel nauseous. I don't _think_ you have a concussion, but I don't wanna risk it," Barry rolled up his sleeves and ran his arm under the water to test the temperature. It was warm enough at this point, so he knelt down beside the tub and tried to get Hal's attention. "This is going to sting a bit, I'm sorry, but I'll have you cleaned up in no time."

Hal made a swirly gesture with his hand that Barry took to mean 'okay', so he detached the showerhead and very slowly ran the spray up Hal's back. The brunet shuddered and hunched his shoulders up to his ears. Barry took his time rinsing off each cut and carefully scrubbing the blood away with his cloth. Beneath them, the water ran red down the drain in long swirls. Hal tilted his head back listlessly when Barry started kneading suds into his hair, letting out a groan at the loving attention. Barry thought he caught the barest hint of a smile on Hal's lips, and he laughed, "You like this?"

"It doesn't _hurt_ ," Hal slurred with a tired shrug.

"You'll feel better soon. Who knows? Maybe Oliver's right and being around me will make you heal faster," Barry joked, finishing up Hal's hair and leaning over his lap to start washing his legs. "It's a nice thought, anyways."

Before he could grab the showerhead again, Hal was suddenly leaning against him, fitting into his contours like a puzzle. He pressed his face into Barry's collarbone and breathed out in a harsh sigh, not saying anything, not moving. Barry went stiff for a second from surprise, but he curled his arms around Hal and felt water seeping in through his shirt. He didn't care.

"Hal?" he murmured softly.

"Don't move. Please?" Hal asked in a weak mumble. He sounded like he was nearly asleep. "You're really comfortable."

Barry drew him in tighter, "Of course."

They stayed that way until Barry noticed Hal's skin rising up in goose bumps from the cold. Without moving too much, Barry wrapped his boyfriend up in a thick towel and dried him off. All the while, Hal drifted further into sleep with his nose pressed against Barry's neck.


	17. Unexpected

Barry turned sharply to the side as Hal's foot whistled past inches from his face. He grabbed his boyfriend's leg and kept turning, throwing Hal away from him. The Lantern landed in a tumble to absorb the hit and rolled back onto his feet, fists up and shoulders rolling as he shook it off.

"Thought the rules were no powers," Hal grinned.

Barry was content to stay silent, but Clark stood up for him from the edge of the training ring, "He didn't use his speed, Hal."

"He's just naturally faster than you," Arthur teased from the spectator seats, water bottle hanging loosely from his fingers. He'd just finished sparring with Bruce a few minutes ago. Hal and Barry were taking their turn in the ring now practicing grappling distance hand to hand combat. No power rings. No superspeed.

"What – is everyone suddenly Team Barry now?" Hal tore his eyes off of Barry to send betrayed glares at their Kryptonian and Atlantean teammates. Barry took advantage of the opening and darted in to tackle Hal when he wasn't looking. He tagged him in the ribs once before Hal caught his fist and threw an elbow into his jaw. Barry dove off of him to avoid it, and Hal was back on his feet at the same time. "He may be faster, but _I'm_ stronger."

Barry shrugged like it didn't matter, "You'd have to actually hit me for that to make any difference."

He heard Arthur chuckling off to the side and Booster's hooting at the comeback. Hal flicked them off, but his eyes stayed locked on Barry's like a predator sizing up a kill. Barry's confident grin dropped away, and he slammed his senses into full alert. That was Hal accepting the challenge with vigor. They'd fought side by side plenty long enough for Barry to learn his tells.

"You asked for it," Hal warned with a cocky jerk of his head and a slow smile. He flexed his fingers, and the knuckles cracked ominously. He was getting serious now and drawing attention to their fight. Clark's arms unfolded from over his chest in interest, Arthur sat up straighter in his seat, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle moved closer to the perimeter railings to get a better look. Even Bruce and J'onn looked up from their conversation by the door to watch.

Hal bridged the gap between them in two quick steps, shooting a fist at center mass. Barry raised his arm to block and smacked Hal's wrist aside in the same fluid motion. He jabbed his knee into Hal's gut and threw him to the ground when he doubled over in surprise. Hal rolled with it and swiped his leg out to bring Barry down with him, but he sidestepped out of range. Not wasting the momentum, Hal rose by swinging his weight back around with a powerful roundhouse. Barry had to bend backwards to avoid the kick connecting with the side of his head.

He grit his teeth and took a step back to regain his footing after the desperate dodge put him off-balance. Hal pressed after him, and Barry kept his fists up and ready when he saw the grin on his face - dark and wide like he knew something Barry didn't.

Hal threw his whole body into another haymaker, and Barry grabbed his wrist, ducking under the arm and turning to twist it behind his back. He jerked to get free of the hold, but Barry kept him trapped and pressed Hal's arm into his back to weaken him. Hal moved like he was about to slam his elbow back into Barry's ribs, so the speedster instinctively lifted his leg to block it with his knee.

That's when Hal suddenly aborted the elbow jab and blindly reached around to dig his fingers neatly into the curve of Barry's ass.

The speedster's eyes went wide, and his heart leapt into his throat.

With a sniggering laugh, Hal lurched forward and tossed Barry over his head while he was still dumbstruck. The world flipped upside down, and Barry landed hard on his back with a loud thud, the wind knocked out of him and a fierce blush coloring his face bright red.

It took two seconds to process what had just happened. Instead of getting to his feet, Barry pushed himself up on his elbows and fired a disbelieving glare up at Hal, "Did you just _grope_ me…?!"

He ignored the muffled laughter and sounds of astonishment from his teammates at the edge of the training ring but kept his unwavering stare fixed on his boyfriend. Hal rocked back on his heels, breath only slightly labored, and looked at his own hand with a curious tilt to his head, "Huh…Well, Barry, I guess I must have. Superman only ever looks _that_ uncomfortable when I do something _extra_ inappropriate."

Barry glanced to the side where Clark was watching them with a distinct frown on his face. He was the one keeping score of how many times they tagged each other in the match. "I'm not counting that, Hal."

"It was a legit tag," Hal held up the offending hand, waggling his fingers tauntingly and not seriously contesting the ruling.

"It _was not_ ," Barry breathed in slowly through his nose to keep calm. He got to his feet and tried to ignore the fact that he could still feel the ghost of Hal's hand on his ass. "And if you try it again - _especially_ in front of our friends - you're gonna find yourself sleeping on the couch for the next month."

Hal didn't look overly remorseful even as he held his hand solemnly over his heart and paused dramatically like he was about to deliver a grand apology, "Honey…we have the most comfortable couch I've ever encountered."

Oh, Barry wanted to smack the cocky smile right off his face. He stalked towards his boyfriend amidst a chorus of cheers from Booster and Beetle, flexing the muscles in his arms. Hal rocked back into a fighting stance and bounced his knees a little while he waited.

Barry feinted to the left and dropped to the ground beneath the shovel hook Hal aimed at his ribcage. He planted his hands on the ground to brace himself and landed a kick square in Hal's side that had him stumbling backwards.

Then it was on. Hal and Barry darted at each other in harried movements, trading and blocking blows. Hal was always just a half second too late or a centimeter too far to the side to tag Barry, and Barry couldn't manage to get himself into Hal's blind spots. It was equal parts boxing, dancing, and a fast-paced game of keep away.

Hal was having way too much fun with it, but he hadn't made any more attempts to feel Barry up again, so the speedster pushed it from his mind and focused on actually sparring again.

Mistake.

The moment Hal managed to wrestle Barry into a chokehold from behind, the speedster felt a hand creeping its way down his abs towards the waistband of his workout shorts. His temper flared hot when he felt Hal's breathy chuckle tickling his ear, and he narrowed his eyes in irritation.

"Didn't expect me to actually listen, did you?" Hal playfully pressed himself closer against Barry and loosened the arm locked around his neck. In any other circumstance, Barry would've been all for this kind of flirty fighting and accepting Hal's teasing advances. But dammit, the Lantern _knew_ he didn't like doing stuff like this in front of other people. Time to teach him a lesson.

"I warned you…" Barry ground out ominously, inwardly reaching to open the connection to his powers. He'd show Hal _unexpected._

"Wha-?" Hal began in confusion moments before Barry vibrated out of his arms and knocked him flat on his ass. "Oof!"

Barry grabbed Hal's ankles and yanked him forward by his feet. Then in one swift motion, he pulled off Hal's sweatpants and flung them across the ring, leaving him dazed in only his boxers. He stood over Hal with his arms crossed in satisfaction and one eyebrow cocked dangerously while Arthur howled with laughter up in the bleachers.

Now, it was Hal's turn to flush red as he looked around frantically for his pants, " _Um?!_ I thought we said no friggin superspeed!"

Barry kept his head held high and loftily strolled around Hal towards the edge of the arena where Clark was very obviously trying hard not to laugh, "I win."

Clark was nodding in amused agreement, "Yes, I'd say you did."

"By _cheating!_ " Hal was screeching from the center of the ring, snatching his pants up with a ring construct and trying to put them on while hopping after Barry. Booster was on his knees, clutching his middle and trying to breathe, and Blue Beetle flat out pointed and laughed at him.

"I still won," Barry called over his shoulder, slinging a towel around his neck and meeting Bruce's gaze as he passed the doorway to the showers and locker room. He could see the smallest smile beneath the dark cowl and knew he could count on Bruce to make sure the footage of that takedown ended up in his email later.


	18. A Halbarry New Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for not giving up on me. You guys have really overwhelmed me with all the encouraging comments and reviews over the last few days. I hope 2018 is good to everyone <3

                "You were too close to that building when Clark took out the support beams," Hal said absently, digging his fingers into Barry's hair. "You could've gotten caught in the debris."

                Barry looked up at him from where he had his head resting in Hal's lap, "Really? You think I'm going to be done in by _rubble_?"

                "I'm just saying," he dragged his nails along Barry's scalp just like the speedster liked it. His hair was always a wreck after taking off his helmet, so Hal didn't feel too bad about making it worse. "You could be a little more careful."

                "And you could make your shield constructs a bit bigger," blue eyes rolled back in bliss, fluttering shut. Barry turned his face into the crook of Hal's arm and shifted uncomfortably on the floor.

                They were both still in uniform - too drained from their last mission to bother changing…or budging from their current spot on the Javelin hangar floor.

                "What does _that_ mean?" Hal frowned at the lightning bolt on Barry's chest.

                "That missile that was coming at you earlier," Barry yawned and swirled his arm around in the air like he was having trouble coming up with the right words. "You only made a teeny little shield to cover your front. You _never_ protect your back. You're worse than Clark."

                Hal exhaled in a helpless laugh, "It wasn't coming at my back."

                "The missile wasn't, but you never know what else is sneaking up to get ya," Barry nodded sagely. He cracked one eye open to fix Hal with a look. "One minute, you're minding your own business helping a friend, and the next, you've got a seizure bullet lodged in your spine."

                Hal hissed in through his teeth at the memory. His fingers stilled a bit in playing with his boyfriend's hair.

                "Oh, I'm sorry babe," Barry grimaced apologetically. "Too soon?"

                "Yeah, a bit."

                He brought Hal's hand to his mouth and kissed each knuckle softly, "I'm sorry."

                "It's okay, I still love you," Hal mumbled quietly. He slid a bit further down the wall he'd propped himself up against and tightened his arms around Barry.

                Somewhere across the hangar, a certain exhausted archer pretended to gag.

                Both Hal and Barry went quiet, eyes snapping open to stare at each other in irritation.

                "Do you think you two could maybe go out in the hallway if you're going to drool all over each other?" Ollie was lying flat on his back on a worktable a few yards away, one arm dangling over the side. He'd kicked off his boots and thrown them by the fueling station. "That'd be great, thanks."

                "Someone's peanut butter and jealous…" Hal huffed in amusement. He rubbed circles into Barry's hairline, unable to help smiling when he felt the speedster chuckling deliriously.

                "I'm not jealous," Ollie turned his head to glare at them. "Relationship or not, the way I see it, the three of us are all in the same sad, little boat: New Year's Eve and we're ten minutes from falling asleep in Mt. Justice. It's not even 9 o'clock."

                "We just finished fighting Black Adam _and_ Sinestro at the same time," Barry groaned. "We're tired."

                "The real cost of being a hero," Hal sighed dramatically. "Too exhausted to go out partying and drinking and acting our age."

                Ollie snorted, "You two don't do that anyways. You're boring, old parents."

                "I'm sorry, _what_?" Hal made like he was going to get up, but his legs failed him, erupting into pins and needles.

                Barry smacked him in the shoulder to get his attention back, "He's right; you're a parent now, which reminds me… Not only do you need to watch your back better, but you need to stop rushing headlong into fights before there's a plan in place."

                "We're back to this?"

                "You _did_ start it," Ollie chimed in.

                "Shut your face," Hal blindly threw a wrench in the general direction of his friend's voice. It didn't hit him, instead clanging loudly against something that hopefully wasn't too expensive and skittering away. He turned his focus back to the sleepy speedster in his lap. "Okay then, _you_ quit chatting up your Rogues and giving them openings to attack you."

                "What are you talking about?" Barry genuinely looked confused.

                "You're always trying to convince them to give up the life of crime and reform!" Hal pointed out. "Newsflash: Captain Cold is never gonna stop stealing stuff. The Trickster is going to keep holding supermarkets ransom with exploding toys. They are going to be doing the same old song and dance fifteen years from now. They're simple creatures, and you ain't gonna change that."

                "Hey, that's not fair. Leonard is usually trying to get money to take care of his sister, and James just needs to stay on his medication. Once his pills start working really well, he thinks he doesn't need them anymore, so he stops taking them. He's not a bad guy." Barry argued earnestly. He guided Hal's hands back to his neck to coax him into rubbing the muscles there.

                " _Barry_. You should not be on a first name basis with your supervillains," Hal said very slowly like he was trying to explain a difficult concept to a child.

                "They're people too, Hal. And taking the time to learn personal things about your villains isn't a weakness," Barry shot back. "Maybe you should try it sometime."

                "He may be on to something," Ollie said. "Barry's still the only mask I know who can end a battle by talking the bad guys into giving up."

                "Oh yes, I'll get _riiiiight_ on that. The next time Arkillo shows up, I'll ask him about his childhood. And then maybe I'll head on over to Oa's prison cells and gab with Sinestro about his dead family. _That_ should go over well," Hal deadpanned.

                Barry was not impressed, " _Fine_. Let's make some New Year's resolutions then."

                "About what?"

                "About _this_ ," Barry gestured between them like that explained it all. "About what makes each other anxious during fights. Just one small thing each."

                Hal thought about it for a minute, trying to decide if it was a trap, "Alright... I'll make yours and you make mine?"

                "Deal."

                From off to the side, Ollie had to put in his two cents, "I'll just make my own then. Don't worry about me. I don't feel excluded _at all_."

                "Good," they both said in unison.

                Barry reached one arm around awkwardly and jabbed it into Hal's chest very seriously, "Harold Jordan. This year, every time you go to make a shield construct, you're going to drop a whole dome over top of yourself. No more stupid arm shields the size of a dinner plate. I'm talkin 360 degrees of protection, you hear me?"

                "Yeah, I hear ya," Hal cracked up. He smacked Barry's hand away. "And you, _Barrence Allen_ -"

                "Oh my God, please don't," Barry cringed at his full name.

                "-will keep your guard up when you're having social hour with your Rogue's Gallery. I don't care if Heatwave is 'super duper serious this time' or if Weather Wizard just needs a hug. You keep a good 50 feet away unless they're in an inhibitor collar. Capisce?"

                "…capisce…"

                "Now, give me a kiss," Hal couldn't keep the smile off his face. He bent his head down and leaned in for one, even when Barry turned his head away so that all he could reach was his cheek.

                "It's not midnight yet," Barry laughed.

                Hal wasn't deterred at all, kissing his way along his boyfriend's jaw and murmuring into the soft skin below his ear, "We gotta seal the deal, babe. Come on."

                It didn't take much more convincing before Barry tilted his head and brushed his lips against Hal's, happy and pliant in his arms. After the angle started to hurt his back, Hal moved them so that they were lying side by side, foreheads pressed together and eyes closed.

                " _My_ New Year's resolution is to finally stop being a goddamn third wheel," Ollie's sarcastic voice drifted over in the silent hangar.

               

               


End file.
